As Apologies Go
by BlackFox12
Summary: When the dust settles, relationships have to be mended.


**As Apologies Go**

 **Title:** As Apologies Go

 **Disclaimer:** We own nothing from Now You See Me and are making nothing from this story.

 **Summary:** When the dust settles, relationships have to be mended.

 **Warning(s):** Disciplinary spanking; Spoilers for Now You See Me and Now You See Me 2.

 **Authors:** BlackFox12 and Hope1iz

 **Author's Note:** Technically for the boss or supervisor square in the advent bingo challenge over on Spanking_World at LiveJournal. And bingo!

###

Dylan wasn't sure he'd ever stop feeling guilty. Learning about Thaddeus' relationship with his father had made him see the other man in a far different light. Dylan was never going to work with the FBI again, but that was all right. Things were beginning to settle down now and he was adjusting to his new life and status and was fairly sure the Horsemen were feeling the same way.

Teaching his protege was harder than Dylan had anticipated. He couldn't quite let go of the sense of betrayal at having been tricked and deceived by Atlas. And he was fairly sure he wasn't doing a good job of hiding that.

Daniel knew his mentor felt betrayed... Was finding it hard to trust him, though that didn't change how the older man treated him. Not that Daniel had made it easy. He could tell Dylan was frustrated. Atlas felt guilty for what he'd done to the older man. He'd never _admit_ it, but the niggling pain of guilt _was_ there.

Having returned to the building, with breakfast and coffee, Dylan headed to Atlas' room. He knocked lightly on the door, juggling the coffees and bagels.

Daniel wasn't a morning person. Or, at least, he wasn't feeling it _this_ morning... one too many late nights, close calls and guilt finally catching up to him. He yanked the door open with a disgruntled frown. "What?!"

Dylan's first instinct was to apologise, walk away...let Atlas get back to sleeping. It looked like the kid needed it and they'd never really talked about everything that had happened. But his first instinct wasn't always the correct one and Dylan went with what his gut was saying. He held up the bagels and coffee. "Peace offering?"

Daniel blinked, hesitantly stepping back so Dylan could enter his room. He had the grace to look ashamed of his attitude, as he quickly moved a pile of clothes off the only chair in his room, motioning toward it. "Um... thanks... I uh... normally skip breakfast. Wasn't expecting you to bring me anything..." he said, in lieu of an actual apology.

Dylan sat down, holding out the breakfast items to the younger man. "I noticed," he commented. "I also noticed today isn't only the result of a sleepless night."

"You noticed that, did you?" Daniel smirked slightly. He didn't doubt Dylan's words. For all that Atlas had fooled and betrayed him, that was down more to him trusting Daniel and not bothering to look than it was to him being unobservant.

"I noticed a lot," Dylan said. "I've noticed a _lot_ about you. And I think it's about time we actually talked."

Atlas almost protested the need for that. But even he knew they couldn't continue as they were. If he was to be able to learn from the other man, they needed to address everything that stood between them. He sighed and swallowed, carefully putting the breakfast and drink on the nearby end table. He then began to pace. "Okay... what do you need to know from me? Or say to me?" His question was a lot less assertive than he'd have liked.

"An explanation would be nice," Dylan said quietly. He didn't add that an apology would be too. It wasn't likely he'd get one of those.

"An explanation? You already know everything there is to know..." Daniel hedged.

"I know what happened," Dylan replied. "I don't know why."

"You were being too cautious! Going too slow!" Daniel blurted. "I thought I could do things more efficiently..."

"So instead of _talking_ to me about it, you decided to push me out and hide what was really going on from me?" Dylan's voice was very quiet.

Daniel opened his mouth to protest... to defend his actions... but he suddenly found himself at a loss for words. Huffing in disgruntlement, he looked toward the wall, unable to face Dylan. "Yeah. I did..." he finally reluctantly admitted.

"That wasn't okay," Dylan continued, his voice still quiet. "And if we're going to continue working together, I'm going to need to be able to trust you."

Daniel winced at those words. "How do I earn back your trust?" he finally asked, in a small voice, when it began to appear like he wasn't going to acknowledge Dylan's words.

Dylan gave a quiet sigh, sitting back slightly on the chair. "Well, one way is to give it time. Time for me to be able to trust you again."

Daniel nodded, obviously not happy with that answer. If he was capable of patience, he wouldn't have done what he'd done in the first place. "Anything else that I'm actually capable of doing?" His question was bleak, for all it was teasing.

Dylan knew that answer wasn't necessarily something that would be good for either of them; it clearly wasn't working out right now. "The only other option I've got is giving you some form of consequences."

"Like what?" Daniel found himself looking at Dylan with more hope than he'd expected to feel.

"It's a bit out there, I know," Dylan commented wryly. "But I could spank you."

Atlas glared and was about to give Dylan attitude about his abysmal joke, when he realized... the older man wasn't joking. The glare morphed into a look of shock. "You aren't joking..." he said weakly. "But... you're my teacher and my boss! Not my father! Isn't... won't that be crossing the line into inappropriate?" It was obvious he was more worried about being spanked than how appropriate or not it was; just as it was obvious through word choice that he'd already made his decision, even if he himself didn't realize it.

"I don't have any inappropriate feelings towards you, Daniel," Dylan said. "It's not a joke. I don't think I'd say any of this is a joke."

"No! I didn't mean... that's not..." Daniel's shock turned into embarrassment. "I'm clearly not expressing myself clearly..." His shoulders slumped.

"I don't want to leave things like they are between us," Dylan said quietly. "I'm prepared to act to change things. Are you?"

Daniel swallowed hard. "Yes... I am..." he finally said. "What do I do?"

"I'm going to put you over my knee and then I'm going to spank you," Dylan said.

"So... like a little kid. You in control and me... " Atlas grimaced but didn't argue. Some would say his actions hadn't been terribly adult and he'd rather that not be pointed out. And this was meant to make things right between Dylan and him. He'd been the one to screw things up for his boss. If this was how Dylan felt things should be addressed, then... the older man was in charge... in control.

"Following my directions. My instructions," Dylan commented. He stood from the chair and moved over to the bed. "Come here, Daniel," he directed.

Swallowing hard, Daniel gave a fleeting look toward the door before shooting a conflicted look at Dylan. Swallowing again, he closed his eyes, shoulders slumping in resigned submission, and walked to the older man's side.

Dylan reached out and grasped Daniel's arm, drawing the younger man down across his lap and securing him with an arm wrapped around his waist before he tugged Daniel's pants and underwear down.

"Hey! Wait...!" Daniel panicked, throwing his hand back to cover his bare backside. "You didn't say I was losing my pants..." He blushed darkly at the complete whine that carried through his tone.

"You aren't in control, Daniel. You've ceded that to me." Dylan took hold of Daniel's hand, moving it out of the way and holding it in place against the younger man's back.

At those words, Daniel's emotions plummeted. He whimpered as his hand was restrained. He felt more helpless and out of control than he'd ever felt in recent memory. Even with everything that had happened recently, he'd not felt this out of control and helpless; he'd still been fighting to win, after all. Now? He wasn't fighting. Dylan was right. He'd ceded control to him. He wasn't controlling or fighting anything. "I... I'm scared!" he blurted, unable to stop the admittance, no matter how humiliated he felt for it. He turned scarlet and hid his face as much as he was able to in his position.

"You don't need to be scared, kid," Dylan said. He gave Daniel's back a gentle rub and then lifted his hand, bringing it down in a firm swat that he then repeated.

"I'm letting you be in control..." Daniel whispered, in a low, somber tone that ended in a high-pitched squeak when the sting from the swats registered. He didn't say that he had a hard time feeling safe with someone else in control. Logically, he knew he was in no danger from Dylan. That didn't help emotionally. Especially not after what he'd done to the other man; he knew Dylan had every right to be angry and take out his displeasure and sense of betrayal on Daniel. He trusted the older man wouldn't, but that didn't stop the fear. "...Can't help being scared..." he finished, in a weak, almost childish tone.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Dylan kept his tone low and reassuring, even as he settled into a pattern of swats down to Daniel's thighs before starting over from the top.

"...That... that's not entirely true..." Daniel gasped out, beginning to squirm. "This, hurts! A _lot_!" He couldn't stop himself from whimpering.

Dylan tightened his grip around Daniel's waist, drawing the younger man tighter against his stomach as he continued to swat, covering Daniel's entire backside, down to his thighs, in the swats. "I'm punishing you, kid. This isn't about pain but about consequences."

"Be... because I lied... hid things from you... did things you wouldn't agree to behind your back..." Daniel admitted. He felt ashamed of his behavior now and it was clear in his voice; as were the tears that began sliding down his face.

"And because the alternative is to let things fester and make any kind of relationship more difficult than it has to be." Dylan began swatting a fraction harder and faster.

"You... you still want a relationship with me?" Daniel sobbed out the question, not attempting to hide his crying. He began to squirm frantically as his backside heated, the sting growing.

"I wouldn't bother to do this if I didn't," Dylan said seriously, starting to focus more swats to Daniel's sit spots and thighs.

Daniel went limp at those words, allowing himself to feel Dylan's admonishment completely. "I'm sorry. I should have trusted you. Should have been honest. Should have listened! I'm so sorry..." He shook from his crying.

Bringing the spanking to a stop, Dylan carefully replaced Daniel's clothing and then moved the younger man into a tight embrace.

Daniel would deny it if asked later, but he threw his arms around Dylan and clung to him. Most people could only put up with him for so long. If he'd done what he had to anyone else, he knew they would have just written him off. They certainly wouldn't have worried about a relationship with him or making sure the one they had was okay. "You don't act like a normal boss..." he whispered. (If he actually meant 'you don't act like everyone else who had enough and gave up on me,' only he needed to know that.)

"I care about you," Dylan said honestly, hugging the younger man tighter. "And I care about our relationship being okay."

Daniel found himself relaxing against Dylan, trusting his words. "You're more than a boss..." he whispered. "You're... my friend?" He blushed at how needy and hopeful he sounded. "Thank you for... for spanking me..." ('...Thank you for fixing our relationship when I couldn't and not giving up on me, or hating me, or thinking I'm a lost cause, or leaving me...' was what he meant, but didn't know how to say in few words.)

"I am," Dylan replied. "I'm glad you understand that now." He still held onto the younger man. It was better, now that they didn't have the past hanging over their heads.

Daniel let his head fall onto Dylan's shoulder. Having submitted once, he was finding it easier, if not difficult not to, keep submitting little by little to the older man. "We're okay now?" he asked, to be certain.

"We're definitely okay," Dylan promised. He let his fingers run through Daniel's hair, rubbing down his back.

"Do... do I owe Thaddeus an apology? For my part in framing him?" He winced slightly. The other man was older than Dylan and might feel the need to punish him too. He'd apologize and submit, though. If Dylan told him to. He was hoping maybe Thaddeus would forget about what he'd done. Or call it even after this last escapade, since they'd got him back out of prison. He snuggled closer and hid his face against Dylan's shoulder, betraying his reluctance.

"He'd probably appreciate an apology," Dylan replied, letting his hand continue to idly stroke over Daniel's back. "I did already...I was the one mainly responsible for what happened; the rest of you were just following my direction. You weren't really the ones at fault."

"Contrary to what my actions suggest, I'm an adult..." Daniel sniffled. "He'd be within his rights to say I should a known better and not done it, orders or not..." He gave Dylan a small smile. "I'll apologize, though. I... is he still around?"

Dylan nodded. "I asked him to stick around. So, we could get to know each other without me blaming him for something he didn't do."

"Kinda like you wanna keep me around?" Daniel blinked, then blushed. He hadn't meant to ask that, let alone sound like a needy kid when doing so.

"Exactly like that," Dylan replied. "I want to keep you around, kid."

Daniel swallowed. "I wanna be kept..." He reached up and rubbed the remnants of tears off his face. "...Around, I mean..."

"You sure you didn't mean it the first way?" Dylan asked gently, letting his arm rest around Daniel's waist. "You're probably the closest thing to a kid I have."

Daniel leaned back just enough to look into Dylan's eyes. "I meant it the first way..." he finally admitted.

"I want to _keep_ you," Dylan said softly. "I think I've proved my determination not to let anything come between us."

Dylan smiled crookedly at those words and shifted slightly. "Yeah...you made your determination very clear, sir..." he whispered, as he reached back to rub his bottom.

"What do you say, kid?" Dylan gathered the younger man closer, holding him tighter. "I want to keep you...you want to be kept _by me_...what do you think about making it official?"

"Official? You mean you wanna 'dopt me?" Daniel blinked uncertainly. It was the only way he could think to make being kept official if you weren't getting married.

Dylan nodded. "It's what I want to do, kid. Tie you to me so we can stay together." He let his hand slide down Daniel's back, gently patting his backside. "Of course, that means this spanking won't be a one-time thing."

"You're assuming I'm gonna be bad?" Daniel started to protest, then thought about it. Sighing, he admitted ruefully, "Yeah, you're right. I'll likely have a sore butt a lot..." He smiled. "Still...if it means you keep me, it's worth it..."

"Not bad, kid. Just in some need of correction and discipline." Dylan continued to hold him tightly as he continued, "And no matter how you behave...I'm still gonna keep you. Son."

Swallowing hard, Daniel let his head lay on Dylan's shoulder again. "I've prolly needed that for a long time, sir. I'm glad you're the one who gets to keep me..."

"Me too," Dylan murmured, letting his fingers comb through Daniel's hair. "I'm fairly sure I need you as much as you need someone to keep you."

"That makes it easier... maybe I won't be a burden..." Daniel said quietly.

"You won't be a burden," Dylan promised. "I want you, son."

"Thank you... dad..." Daniel tested the term out hesitantly. It felt a bit odd... but not wrong. It felt right.

Dylan smiled at the term and kissed the side of Daniel's head. "That sounds right," he whispered.

"Guess I should try and get hold of Thaddeus... apologize..." Daniel didn't get up, though, snuggling close to his new father.

"We've got time." Dylan wrapped his arms a bit tighter around his new son. "We can stay like this for a bit longer."

"Yeah. I'd like that..." Daniel settled, content to be held and cuddled by Dylan. This whole encounter had turned out drastically different than he'd forseen.

 **The End**


End file.
